He is a legendary prison guard

Episode 24
Motivation and Struggles

“Hey, isn’t that the famous Chief Lee? Oh, hello there!”

As he entered through the main gate, a senior correctional officer playfully saluted him.

After the documentary aired and Shi- Hyun’s video became a hot topic online, such playful remarks from senior officers became more frequent.

Shi-hyun’s name was likely firmly remembered by correctional officers nationwide.

The Ministry of Justice even issued a notice urging correctional officers to watch it, and it was clear that many had tuned in.

Even if they were in different facilities, rumors spread quickly among employees due to the rotation system.

Especially with a documentary out and causing a stir, there was no need to elaborate further.

“Hello.”

Shi-Hyun simply responded with a smiling greeting.

That was the best approach.

If he showed any reaction, people would want to tease him more.

—

‘Let’s finally get rid of this annoying 9th grade label.’

As he headed to the security and administration office during his 30-minute break, Shi-hyun thought about it.

The mention of being a 9th grader brought back a specific memory.

Three years ago, after finishing training at the correctional academy, he was assigned to the Daehan Correctional Facility, where he had an awkward welcome dinner with seniors.

During that gathering, one senior said:

“You’re all 9th graders, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You poor things. You came in as fresh recruits, huh? Seriously, I advise young ones to go out and retake the 7th-grade exam.

This isn’t the military, but it’s a hierarchical society. Working at the bottom will lead to some frustrating situations.”

“….”

“Oh, if you have connections as a 9th grader, it’s different. Does anyone here have a child of the warden? Or maybe the deputy warden? No? Then you’re all in for a tough time, haha.”

At that time, he hadn’t yet started working, so it was hard to feel anything from those words.

But just two days later, during the official welcome dinner for the security department, he experienced something shocking.

This time, there were several higher-ranking staff members present, including correctional officers and section chiefs.

During this gathering, a security correctional officer asked:

“Is there anyone among the newcomers who can’t drink well?”

Since Shi-Hyun didn’t like alcohol much, he was the only one to raise his hand.
He thought that if he didn’t indicate his dislike for drinking from the start, it would be hard to avoid it in future gatherings.

But what the correctional officer said was outrageous.

“You can’t drink? Hey, are you a loser? Totally a loser, huh?”

He could still remember those words perfectly.

They left a shocking impression on him.

Was it acceptable for even a subordinate to speak like that?

He had heard that the atmosphere was like a military setting due to its male-dominated hierarchy, but he never expected such harsh words to be thrown around so casually.

Shi-hyun felt a significant scratch on his self-esteem.

He could only awkwardly smile, feeling foolish for not being able to respond better.

So this is society.

He had just taken his first steps on the lowest rung of the social ladder.

Not everyone experiences it, but most do.

When he saw the news about employees stressed by their superiors’ verbal abuse, it didn’t hit home when he was a job seeker, but now he could truly understand.

The saying “If you’re wronged, rise” didn’t come from nowhere.

His colleague, Jun-cheol, comforted him by saying that there is always a certain number of bad apples in any organization, so he should just forget about it.

However, Shi-hyun intentionally didn’t forget.

That memory became a strong motivation whenever he felt lazy.

The correctional officer was reassigned to another facility a year later, but he left behind a memory that served as motivation, which was a mixed feeling of gratitude and disgust.

What Shi-hyun experienced was mild compared to what happened later.

A legendary incident occurred afterward among his peers.

Jun-cheol, while working overtime with a senior who was nearly seven years younger, asked for her number and was completely shot down.

Not only was he rejected, but he also received a provocative response: “Do I look like someone who would give my number to someone like you?”

Given Jun-cheol’s amicable personality, it wouldn’t have been surprising if there had been a fight.

This incident became so legendary that when it spread in the correctional officer community “Guards Outside the Wall,” dozens of comments condemned the behavior, claiming that such individuals bring disgrace to the entire organization.

Comments like “This backward organizational culture is disgusting” filled the threads.

Thus, there was no development, and the professional self-esteem was low.

They needed to eradicate the outdated military culture.

Anyway, that senior was labeled as a complete fool and ignored by his peers.

Moreover, it turned out he had a terrible reputation within the facility.

The law of garbage preservation was indeed true.

“This time, I will pass.”

His goal was a rapid promotion, but poor evaluations had hindered him.

This time, he was determined to succeed.

And since he had fallen behind, he aimed to pass the 7th-grade exam as quickly as possible to make up for it.

Then, he could potentially aim for the 5th grade later on.

In public service, achieving the 5th grade was no joke.

Earlier this year, only two people passed the correctional administrative exam, and one of them was a man in his late twenties who was assigned as a security correctional officer at Daehan Correctional Facility.

He was younger than Shi-hyun but was treated with respect by older supervisors and section chiefs, who addressed him politely.

It was only natural for Shi-hyun to feel envy.

They say passing the administrative exam can turn your life around, and that was indeed true.

Lost in thought, he soon arrived at the security and administration office.

“Chief, what brings you here?”

As he approached the office clerk managing leave requests, she asked first.

“I’d like to take a leave. For a week starting next week.”

Normally, he would hesitate to ask for such a long leave, as there was a regulation requiring reporting to the security chief if taking more than three days off.

However, there were exceptions for those preparing for promotion exams who could take longer leaves without issue.

“Oh, you’re taking the promotion exam too. Understood.”

The clerk marked it on the calendar.

“Thank you.”

“Good luck on the exam!”

—

Having to wake up every day at 6 AM for work, Shi-hyun felt an immense sense of happiness sleeping in until 8 AM for the first time in a while.

Just two extra hours of sleep brought him such joy.

After breakfast, he planned to study at home, but he kept getting tempted to turn on the computer, so he decided against it.

Dressed in sweatpants and with his bag packed, he headed to the nearby library.

Even on a weekday morning, the library’s reading room was nearly full.

It was said that there were 260,000 public service exam candidates, and it seemed many were studying.

Shi-hyun sat down and opened his correctional studies book.

He was so familiar with the content that the pages turned easily.

Seeing others studying diligently around him inspired him to focus even more.

After immersing himself in study for over an hour, his pocket vibrated.

Worried it might disturb others, Shi-hyun quickly stepped outside.

Checking the caller ID, he saw it was his younger sister.

It felt a bit strange.

She knew he was working at this time, so why was she calling?

“Hey, Ha-young.”

– Oh? You picked up, oppa.

“Today’s my first day of leave. What’s up?”

Well, oppa, please don’t be shocked.

His sister’s voice sounded heavy.

Shi-hyun felt a sense of foreboding.

“What’s going on? Tell me.”

Dad collapsed.

“What?!”

Dad told us not to tell you or me, but Mom called me.

“Why did he collapse all of a sudden? What’s wrong with him?”

I don’t know. They say he’s at a university hospital in Chuncheon. You should go see him right away.

“Okay, I’ll head there right now.”

Shi-Hyun bit his lip, his expression darkening.